Here's a new book that every choral director will want to own and enjoy; these excerpts from the book jacket convey the concept and content:

Robert Shaw is considered to be the most influential choral conductor in American history. This is the first collection of his letters and notes ever published�at another time, it is the book Shaw would have written himself.

The letters are an invigorating mix of music history and analysis, philosophy, inspiration and practical advice. Shaw examines technique, but only as a means to an end�he moves beyond that, delving into the essence of what music is and what it has to say to us. The heart of the book is Shaw's previously unpublished notes on fifteen major choral works, ranging from Bach's B Minor Mass to Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms.

Often inspiring, and sometimes hilarious, these writings reveal the full breadth of Shaw's knowledge, intensity and humor.

The Robert Shaw Reader is a wonderful collection of the beliefs, the frustrations, the celebrations, the analyses and philosophies of this great figure of American choral music. His profound thoughts provide a unique exploration into a brilliant yet complex musical mind. In circumstances where most choral conductors will try to convey so much through non-verbal communication, Robert Shaw was a master of the written word. - Paul Salamunovich.